An Agricultural Worker Gets the Day Off to Get His Vaccine

In 2022, the Colorado Equity Compass (CEC) awarded 20 organizations and community groups across Colorado $2,000 to share the stories of Colorado residents working to fight inequities related to the social determinants of health (SDOH). This is a story product from CEC Awardee: Project Protect Food Systems Workers.

Promotor/as from Project Protect Food System Workers have been working across Colorado since September 2020 in an effort to support agricultural workers, and their communities, in reducing their risk and vulnerability to COVID-19. Agricultural workers in Colorado became eligible to receive the vaccine on March 5, 2021. In the San Luis Valley, Project Protect Promotoras were already hard of work setting up vaccination clinics for their agricultural community and providing translation services for the health care workers. Zoila Gomez interviewed an agricultural worker from Rio Grande County about his experience receiving the vaccine. He explained that the experience was surprisingly positive for him.

[Farmworker:] I feel fine no problems so I’m feeling great. It is the first dose so a bit nervous but I expected something different.

[Promotora:] How did they treat you?

[Farmworker:] Good, well greeted, and even though I don’t speak the language they made themselves understood by having an interpreter and explained everything well.

[Promotora:] And where are you right now, where did you receive this vaccine?

[Farmworker:] In Del Norte and they had said they were giving priority to agriculture and I work on a ranch. They gave us the day off in case we felt sick and won’t have to go in for work until Monday.

You can watch the full video of this interview at esencialcolorado.org. Esencial Colorado, a public community archive for Colorado agricultural workers’ stories, was developed to position these realities as undeniable, to celebrate these humans who are always essential, and to invite the public to take further action towards justice. The stories in the archive can be explored by format of the story whether audio, written, or video. Explore today!